﻿Cowboys, conservationists and the Hopeful Herd

When we are trying to make something happen, environmentalists sometimes think of cowboys. We break out the rhetorical spur of cattle and try to shock the public for complacency and in action with a harsh shock of bad news. There is a time and place to do it – but to motivate people to actually do something, you have to mix up the bad news with a more positive environmental message. Here are some examples of “cattle prod” messages that have recently passed through my desk: “The gigantic companies will spend billions to control our elections”, “Vast portions of the ocean ruined by plastic waste”, “the methane that enters the atmosphere threatens to accelerate the warming crisis “. Yikes! Sometimes the contents of my morning mailbox make me want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. Of course, these messages are true. And you have to tell the public about a problem to explain your solution. But if you repeatedly shake them with the bad news produced by cattle, you could demoralize and desensitize your audience. Sure, they could agree with you & mdash; but they won & rsquo; They do not do anything To give you an idea of ​​what I mean, I recently ran some conservation awareness materials over a test panel of ordinary citizens. Here are some reactions to shock messages: Shock messages about bad environmental habits: “There was so much rubbish shown and the damage was so great that it gave me a break … What could I really do to help stop all those horrible waste,” “The actions of one person do not add up much.” Shock messages on financial needs: “My action / donation would be effective only if I were one of the many people who donate.” The earth is not cheap and hellip; ” “I would not be sure that my small donation would really make the difference …” Shock messages on government inactivity: “Being one voice, my single opinion can hardly influence political maneuvers and hell;” “I realize that the representatives of the state receive hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints and suggestions every day.” Unless this action is taken on a large scale, I doubt it can have a significant impact on government policies and hell. “; I’m not exactly the words of people ready to go into action to save the day, right, These quotes underline the urgency of mixing in some encouragement and words of success. This is what the author John W. Gardner meant when he wrote: “the first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive”. So listen, cowboy and mash; you could move some cow with your trusty cattle prod, but it is the herd mentality that moves society. People find hope and courage in that herd. Read how our test panel reacted to some conservation messages that evoked the sense of strength of numbers: When others worked together to change bad habits: “& hellip: a person’s actions multiplied by many thousands of people with a similar mindset can have a profound impact on the problem.” When others have already done their part to give: “And hellip: having matched donations makes it seem like my action has a greater impact”. When he told others to make a difference by signing a petition to officials: “& hellip: a widely distributed petition can have a certain influence on the various representatives of the electoral districts”. So, the next time you find yourself sitting at the computer and inventing an environmental message that you want to motivate your audience for some action, remember the importance of the hopeful herd. Mooing!